The National tribune., 1887-12-08
A BOY SPY In DIME.
CONTINUED from Ist page.)


nanny" in the house. They were evidently
"poor white trash /" but they owned one slave.
so old that she was like broken-down horse
or cow-VeTy cheap.
After supper the son went Off somewhere but
before he left / heard the old man talking
earnestly to him, and imagined that the con-
yersation was about myself; Of course, at such
time ones fears are aroused by every little
incident. heard the son say:
"Oh, no; you're mistaken, father. Why, the
poor fellow can't walk"
"But. replied the grufT voice of the old man,
"he don't know where his regiment is"
Without further words the young fellow
walked or When the old man came back 10
the porch where had been sitting telling the
old lady a sorrowful tale about my home, he
began:
Where did you say you got your wOundg"
why, il was a trhing hurt on the instep;
il only became troublesome because j couldn't
keep from using my foot"
Then the old lady chipped in with:
"Shall send Nanny 10 help you bathe it
with warm water before you 20 10 bedl"
1 declined all this with profuse thanks, and
begged that they would not trouble themselves
about il, as it was a mere trihe.
After some more questions from the old man.
which i was able 10 parry, was ready for bed,
/ glad enough 10 get away from him, and deter
mined TO clear out rs soon as possible. They
UuA lnsO "A IbDils NulStl Nho III NiS aNNtS anu
] extended across the width of the house; from
/ this room there were two opposite windows
opening onto the roof. i didn't dress my
/ wound exactly, or undresS myself for bed in
! fact there was nothing that j could strip of
| but the trousers, one shoe and hat. So, with
these all on, i lay down on top Of the Old-fash-
/ ioned cord bedstead.
MY ONE HOPE WAS TO GET TO RICHMOND,
and escape by some other route. While revolv-
| ing further in my mind how 10 get along down
! that road in the morning without this old man
getting after me for my supper and lodging
bill, almost fell asleep; was so tired that /
could scarcely keep awake, yet was afraid 20
trust myself 10 shut my eyes.
l imagined that heard horses neighing and
|. .trampiRgg, and an occasional voice ont in the
night air, but rs the sound seemed 10 die away
i began TO think myself mistaken, and was
about TO surrender myself 10 sleep when was
reused again by what was unmistakably horses
! galloping along the road. / listened intently
for a moment, then quietly got up from the
4 bed and stole quietly over 60 the front window
/ just in time 10 see troop Of horsemen ride up.
| They were about 10 ride rapidly past, when
one of the fellows in the rear file called out,
Heres house."
There was the jingling that always follows a
sudden halt of cavalry, some voices in the ma
! ture Of interrogations from an officer TO his
command, and halt was made some little dis
tance down the road.
Two Of the men wheeled suddenly and rode
/ back 10 the front of the house, and after look
/ ing about the grounds and talking in tone Of
voice that did not admit Of my getting dis
4 tinctly the purport of the remarks they both
galloped hack together to the command in the
road. ! breathed freer. hoping they had de-
cided 10 LET us alone; because, you know. il
4 wOuld never do for that old man TO have a
chance 10 explain my presence in the house.
j felt devoutly thankful for the lucky escape
had again made, aud had about concluded in
my own mind 10 clear out silently, without the
Virginia formality Of saying goOd-by to my
host, when ] saw with horror that the whole
troop had turned about and were walking their
horses slowly back toward the house / stood
by the front dormer-window Of the old house,
and you may imagine how eagerly ! watched
their every moment
The officer in command halted his troop, and
calling trooper by name. said:
Sergeant, You so up 10 the house and ask
II they have seen any strangers along this
road
That was enough for me. left that window
as suddenly as il gun had been pointed at me
and ran across the little room 10 the back win
dow. IL was open, il being n warm night and
the sash was held mp by stick. ] got through
the window quickly, and was about 10 slide
down the roof slowly TO the caves, so that
the supporting posts. But il was ordained
otherwise; for bad scarcely gotten ont of the
window, and was still holding on to the win
dow-sill, almost afraid TO let go, when dowI
came the sash across my wrist, SO that inyol
unfairly LET 20 my hold and
SLID DOWN THE ROOF FEET FOREMOST,
like a sled on an iced track, landing sprawlinJ
on the ground. In my descent had caugh
hold OF a lot of Virginia creepers that wer'
trained up the side of the back porch, pulling
them down with me, and lay for an instant al
tangled up in them.
The house only stood between me and a trool
of pursuing cavalrymen. Quickly realizing
my predicament, gathered myself up and fo
. poor wounded, crippled Texan with tw,
canes i made most elegant time, considering
the darkness, straight back past the barn int
, the woods beyond. What happened at tn
house ! never learned, as / did not stop to ask
When j heard the officer in command of tn
cavalry party give the instructions 10 his Ser
geant 10 inquire at the house / was stopping a
if any strangers had been seen about there,
: j knew pretty surely that il was detschmen
! of rebel cavalry sent out after me.
There was an old-fashioned picket fenc
around the garden, and the house also stoo
between u.s. this was TO my advantage, as tn
house concealed my flight, and the horses coul
not get over the picket fence.
don't know, but believe that they did no
/ discover the presence" of an enemy for som
time after had gotten of. or until the old ma
had been aroused from his sleep, and / imag
: ined after parley with him the officer woul
: accompany him 10 my room in the garret fo
: the purpose of interviewing their guest Wha
> they thought when they found the bed empt
aud nothing left of the poor Texas cripple bu
his two improyised crutches can't say
i ran through the darkness as fast as / cOulI
scarcely knowing where i was going, excel
that each jump led me further away from th
cavalrymen. Ny path led me over a plowe
! or woods OF small trees.
u Into this cover i plunged ahead, bein
c Obliged TO take little more time TO pick IN
u steps, as it was blind travelling. and i feare
Is running into the brier bushes that are so plel
o tiful in that part of Virginia. j had a gre;
;, deal of trouble getting along through TIA
u thcket
'i Ididnt know where it would lead me, eithe
e but couldn't for the life Of me keep still
Is single moment. i felt impeled 10 keep goiI
Z on, and how long j lodged and scratcht
e through the bushes and briers cannot tell.
e was soon beyond sight or sound of the ca
alrymen, and TO reach the nearest woods fo
~ lowed ia the course leading down the road {
q ward Fredericksburg This was perhaps
H. lucky thing for me- as, In pursuing, the re
l- would naturally imagine that 1 had taken Il
u back track to reach the railroad again.
My progress through the thicket was difhcu
U and slow, aud i almost despaired Of getting f
le enough away 10 prevent capture when dayligI
would come. i kept imagining all the tin
p that the curious noises that everyone hears